News, recommendations, and other monkey business from Harvard Square's only independent children's bookseller, Curious George Books and Toys.

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Sunday, November 8, 2009

Just when you thought the Graveyard Book hubub was over...

... a ghoulish amount of glorious media arises (from the dead?) about Neil Himself, The Graveyard Book, and even little ol' Curious George Books and Toys! Just in the TA-DA! nick of time, too -- now we can distract ourselves while we wait anxiously for the contest results.

GM Michelle was quoted in "Bookselling This Week", which featured a round-up of Graveyard-themed parties around the country:

Curious George Books & Toys held its Graveyard Book Halloween Party on Friday, October 30, at its store in Harvard Square. The store had a variety of craft activities, including making beastly bookmarks, monstrous masks, and decorating cupcakes donated from Sweet Cupcakes boutique, reported Michelle Corliss, the store's general manager. The store was decorated like Bod's cemetery and the staff dressed as characters from the novel: from Mrs. Owens and Scarlet Perkins to Liza Hempstock, Miss Lupescu, and the Sleer. There were also ghost stories read in Curious George Books' "crypt."

"The event was awesome," Corliss said. "We had a huge crowd, mainly preschoolers and elementary school age kids and their parents. An unforgettable part of the party was the costume parade, where children in costume boogied down the street to songs like the Ghostbusters theme and the Monster Mash, accompanied by the Sleer and Mrs. Owens."

The cupcake decorating station was another big hit, said Corliss, with the "Lady on the Grey helping kids to add cookie tombstones and candy ghosts to cupcakes they frosted themselves."

As a locally owned bookstore, Corliss explained that this "kind of community celebration is a great opportunity to reach out to other independent organizations." The store partnered with Sweet Cupcakes and with Cambridge Green Streets Initiative for a raffle.

The event helped draw traffic to the store, too. "We had an influx of people coming in specifically for the event, and others drawn in from the Square-wide 'Harvard Scare' celebration who were curious about the fun happening in Curious George," Corliss reported. "Amidst the activity, customers had the opportunity to browse and to ask questions of our helpful booksellers. Also, The Graveyard Book has been a consistent seller in the year since its publication, but ads for the party upped its sales at our store in the last few weeks."

Two of our "danse macabre" parade participants -- who weren't afraid to strut their stuff -- were pictured in the Cambridge Chronicle on Thursday. The snow princess and self-proclaimed "twisted witch" not only had great costumes, but enviable dance moves as well!

Apparently Neil was on CBS Sunday Morning this very morning, a fact which annoys me since I have no television and thus missed it. Natasha assures me it will be on CBS's site or on YouTube in a matter of moments, so not to worry. I am comforting myself with the amusing description of Neil as "the tender-hearted master of the macabre." Neil was less amused, saying it "left me wanting to go 'I am NOT a tender-hearted master of the macabre, I am in fact VERY SCARY INDEED,' but I suspect I would convince nobody." We'll see for ourselves when the interview appears online someplace or other.

Thanks to everybody who came out to the party -- and our partners, Sweet Cupcakes and the Cambridge Green Streets Initiative -- to make it a success. Keep your fingers (finger bones?) crossed for us in the contest!